Drugs can be first used due to curiosity but can lead to a life changing addiction. Influence to try drugs can come from neighbors or even friends. According to a 2008 NYC health study "Nearly one million New Yorkers report using illicit drugs in the past year...Cocaine use increased most dramatically among men, more than doubling to 5.8% in 2006/07"(Illicit Drug). With drug consumption increasing, the percentage of deaths related to overdosing increase as well. I strongly believe family support is essential to overcome drug addiction and a better life for the user. In the short story "Sonny's Blues" by James Balwin, Sonny fell into a heroin addiction, but with the help of his brother, he was able to improve his future. In Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende, Maya suffered with multiple drug addictions and fell into a life of prostitution, but with the help of her Grandma, she was able move and starts a new life.

Both stories raise the question; can the support from a family member influence a drug addict into changing his or her life around before it is too late?

In "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, we see how Sonny is lead into the drug lifestyle mainly due to the influence his neighborhood had on him Sonny grew up in Harlem, a neighborhood in where drugs could be seen consumed in playgrounds. Sonny found his calling with the consumption and distribution of heroin, but soon found his way to jail and was identified as a convicted felon. Sonny's older brother was one of the first people to find out about